BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

Saints cruise to 58-41 win in Above the Rim Challenge

St. John's #12 Freddy Goins Jr. gets off a pass as St. John Lutheran takes on Maclay in one of the games in the Saints Above the Rim Basketball Showcase tournament at the Ocala, Fl school on Saturday December 7, 2013.

Alan Youngblood/Ocala Star-Banner

By Richard BurtonCorrespondent

Published: Saturday, December 7, 2013 at 10:11 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, December 7, 2013 at 10:11 p.m.

Once St. John Lutheran got things going, it was tough to stop in the second annual Above the Rim Challenge.

The host Saints (3-5) used a 12-0 run all on 3-pointers and held Tallahassee Maclay without a field goal for a span of 6 minutes and 20 seconds overlapping the final two quarters on their way to a 58-41 win.

St. John, whose losses have been against four teams ranked Class 4A or higher this season, were too much on the inside for the Marauders in the win.

"I don't mind if we take our lumps early," St. John coach Antony Fisher said. "My ultimate goal is to prepare for the district tournament and be ready for that.

"If we can share the basketball and play with great effort, then we'll be fine. I thought we got great effort today and I was pleased with that."

Maclay struggled from beyond the arc with 4-of-22 shooting from beyond the arc, while St. John made 5-of-10, including 4-of-5 during the third quarter.

At the forefront of the outside attack for St. John was freshman Phillip Ortiz, who scored eight of his 10 points in the third quarter, keyed by two shots from long distance.

Ortiz teamed with Freddy Goins, Jr., to keep the Saints running.

"I thought Goins and Ortiz played very efficient," Fisher said. "That was key for us. Freddy really played a good floor game and gave us a spark."

St. John also had strong games from Jordan Bates (15 points, eight rebounds), Carson Vandeven (13 points) and Simeon Kirkland (nine points, 17 rebounds, four blocks) on the interior.

Kirkland, a freshman, is the brother of former West Port standout Mike Kirkland, now starting at Eastern Florida State.

Kirkland had 11 rebounds in the opening half and was tough on the inside, as the Saints limited the Marauders to 7-of-27 shooting and held a 21-12 rebounding edge.

Maclay battled back to within 32-29 with 4:01 left in the third quarter, but didn't score the rest of the quarter, as Ortiz, Goins and Keiton Sender combined to make four shots from 3-point range as the Saints pushed their lead to 17 heading into the final quarter.

<p>Once St. John Lutheran got things going, it was tough to stop in the second annual Above the Rim Challenge.</p><p>The host Saints (3-5) used a 12-0 run all on 3-pointers and held Tallahassee Maclay without a field goal for a span of 6 minutes and 20 seconds overlapping the final two quarters on their way to a 58-41 win.</p><p>St. John, whose losses have been against four teams ranked Class 4A or higher this season, were too much on the inside for the Marauders in the win.</p><p>"I don't mind if we take our lumps early," St. John coach Antony Fisher said. "My ultimate goal is to prepare for the district tournament and be ready for that.</p><p>"If we can share the basketball and play with great effort, then we'll be fine. I thought we got great effort today and I was pleased with that."</p><p>The Class 2A Saints outrebounded Class 3A Maclay 43-27 and limited the Marauders to 14-of-56 shooting.</p><p>Maclay struggled from beyond the arc with 4-of-22 shooting from beyond the arc, while St. John made 5-of-10, including 4-of-5 during the third quarter.</p><p>At the forefront of the outside attack for St. John was freshman Phillip Ortiz, who scored eight of his 10 points in the third quarter, keyed by two shots from long distance.</p><p>Ortiz teamed with Freddy Goins, Jr., to keep the Saints running.</p><p>"I thought Goins and Ortiz played very efficient," Fisher said. "That was key for us. Freddy really played a good floor game and gave us a spark."</p><p>St. John also had strong games from Jordan Bates (15 points, eight rebounds), Carson Vandeven (13 points) and Simeon Kirkland (nine points, 17 rebounds, four blocks) on the interior.</p><p>Kirkland, a freshman, is the brother of former West Port standout Mike Kirkland, now starting at Eastern Florida State.</p><p>Kirkland had 11 rebounds in the opening half and was tough on the inside, as the Saints limited the Marauders to 7-of-27 shooting and held a 21-12 rebounding edge.</p><p>Maclay battled back to within 32-29 with 4:01 left in the third quarter, but didn't score the rest of the quarter, as Ortiz, Goins and Keiton Sender combined to make four shots from 3-point range as the Saints pushed their lead to 17 heading into the final quarter.</p>